RE: How to convert PDF file originally created in Illustrator/InDesignto editable format

["Al Geist" <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>]

Fred Ridder wrote:

<Sorry, but PDF is not a native format for Illustrator. Adobe's Dov
Isaacs has repeatedly and emphatically stated on the FrameUsers
list that Illustrator is *NOT* a general-purpose PDF editor.
Illustrator may or may not be capable of opening PDFs that
were created by applications other than Illustrator. And when
such a file is opened, Illustrator may or may not be capable of
editing it and saving it without causing other problems because
Illustrator only supports a subset of the capabilities of the PDF
format.

And no tool allows you to edit text in a PDF that has been
converted to outlines, because it's no longer a series of letters--
just small graphic objects that happen to be shaped like letters.
A PDF that was created from a scan may or may not have
editable text (depending on whether it was successfully OCRed),
and there are quite a few PDFs that whose fonts were saved
as outlines to avoid issues with font embedding (e.g. for
licensed fonts). These documents are really frozen renditions
of the pages, not editable documents.>



I forgot about outline text....

I create and edit PDFs using either Word, PageMaker (yeah I still use it),
FrameMaker, InDesign and a host of other programs and have had no problems
opening up a page in Illustrator, massaging it, then saving it back as into
the PDF...then opening it up in Acrobat to see how it looks. I haven't tried
to open it in other programs.  However, I don't convert my text to outline
unless I'm creating Camera-Ready-Copy for an ad layout.

I also never said it was a general purpose PDF editor. I just said you can
open PDF files in it, edit stuff and save it back. It works great in
emergencies. As a contractor working for a tech company that has yet to get
it's documentation system under control, I do a lot of emergency work. It
pays well enough to overcome the frustration.

Al Geist
Technical Writing, Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design and Award Winning
Videos
Voice/Msg: 802-658-3140
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: mailto:al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
URL: http://www.geistassociates.com (Online portfolio and resume)
See also:
URL: http://www.geistimages.com (Fine art photographic prints for home or
office and beautiful note cards for all occasions.)



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.